1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus in which a map and a cursor are displayed on display means and the map displayed on the display means is scrolled.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7 illustrates the operation for setting the destination in a conventional navigation apparatus.
The mark of an operator's vehicle location and a map in the vicinity of the location where the operator's vehicle is positioned are displayed on a display unit (display) (S31). To indicate the destination on the display unit, a joystick is leaned in a direction in which the map is to be scrolled and the map on the display unit is scrolled (S32). During scrolling, when the destination is indicated on the display unit and it is shown at the cursor, the joystick is pressed (a destination-decision button is pressed) (S33) to set the destination and to indicate information related to the set destination on the display unit (S34). For example, information such as the address of the destination and a facility name at the destination is indicated.
If scrolling is not continued, the address and the facility name are indicated. When scrolling is continued (S35), the address and the facility name being indicated are deleted (S36), and scrolling is performed (S32). During scrolling, when a new destination is indicated on the display unit and it is shown at the cursor, the joystick is pressed (the destination-decision button is pressed) (S33) to set the destination again and to indicate information related to the set destination, such as the address of the set destination and a facility name at the destination, on the display unit (S34).
As described above, the map is scrolled and when the cursor on the display unit is positioned on the destination, the destination-decision button is pressed. The destination setting operation is completed and the address of the destination and a facility name at the destination are indicated. It can be confirmed that the set destination is the desired one.
In the above conventional apparatus, the address or the facility name cannot be indicated unless a destination setting operation is performed. To obtain information as to a new place other than the set destination, such as the address thereof and a facility name at the place, it is necessary to perform the same destination setting operation. In other words, the map is scrolled so that the new place is indicated at the cursor (S35, S36, S32), and when the new place is indicated at the cursor, the destination-decision button needs to be pressed (S33). A troublesome operation of pressing the destination-decision button is required to indicate the address of the destination and a facility name at the destination.
When a place other than the destination is displayed on the display unit, if the displayed place is strange to an operator, the operator cannot identify the place. In this case, the operator cannot know which place is being displayed unless the destination-decision button is pressed.
When the map displayed on the display unit is scrolled to show a place other than that in which the operator's vehicle is included, if the operator does not know the location of the map which is currently displayed, the operator cannot recognize the relationship between the location of the map being displayed and the operator's vehicle location.